First Impressions

Do first impressions really matter?

If you got a first bad impression, would you still give the person a second chance or would that be a deal-breaker?

How about you walk into a shop and find a very rude attendant? Would you purchase from the shop or would you look for another shop?

Ever walked into a reception area and found a bubbly and welcoming person? How did you feel?

When I find these godsend people I feel so warm and welcome. The smiles on their faces are warm enough to change someone’s mood and even believe that the organization you have visited is such a wonderful place to work even when it is not 😜.

Ever walked into a reception area and felt like walking out after your first encounter with the receptionist? While on campus,  I would always say a prayer on my way to the dean’s office but this is a story for another day.

This morning I walked into an office, greeted the lady I found at the reception and she did not even bother to look at me. She responded while reading her novel. I explained the reason for my visit and with her eyes glued to her novel, she handed me a closed visitor’s book and a pen that was not writing to write down my name and contact information.

In the afternoon I walked into another office and found 2 ladies speaking vernacular and none of them bothered to say hi. I stood there for a moment then decided to interrupt their conversation and ask for the doctor I wanted to see.

This took me back to about 3 weeks ago where a certain consultant unceremoniously walked out on me after his receptionist brought lunch. I had to wait for about 15 minutes before he came back. He came back smiling and did not even apologize: I think he did not see anything bad with that.

In my above encounters, the people representing the different brands did not create delightful first impressions; I felt ignored or unwelcome. I guess the other parties do not notice anything wrong with how they handle guests or clients mostly because they do not have the basics of creating delightful experiences or because they choose to be ignorant.

This now makes me ask myself a very common question: Is customer service a department or a culture within an organization? All members of staff should have basic customer service skills so as to offer delightful experiences to customers.

Some of the benefits of wonderful first impressions are:

Positive impact on the business.
The first impression could either make or break a business.
There is a very high likelihood of someone purchasing from a store or doing any other business at a place they are received warmly and offered any assistance they might need. The salespeople who sell specific items like a specific lotion or detergent in supermarkets have perfected this skill. I have personally ended up purchasing different products from what I normally use just because of how the salespeople interacted with me.

Great public image.
Friendly staff also create an admiration for the brand and admirable customer service. This would, in turn, lead to loyalty and repeat business, referrals and ultimately a great public image.

You will never get a second chance to make a first impression, so use your first chance to your advantage.